The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-04-06
A FRIGHTFUL FIRE.
Many Inmates Of q Buffalo Hotel
Killed and Injured.

Many inmates OF q BuualO dOtel
Killed and Injured.
Fire was discovered at $50 A. N. the other
morning in the Richmond Hotel, corner Main
and Eagle streets, Buffalo, N. Y. Itspread
through the building with amazing rapidity.
The fremen, who Were promptly on hand,
were powerless to put out the fire, and they
soon devoted all their energies to saving
life. Seven persons were burned to death or
killed by jumping from the windows or roof.
About thirty persons were injured, several OF
them with fatal result. The scene during the
half hour of agony that followed the alarm
was terrible in the extreme.
One hundred and twenty-five persons were
in the hotel Seventy of them were transient
guests, eight were boarders, and the rest were
porters, bell boys, the families Of the
proprietors, and clerks.
In an incredibly short space Of time the in
terror of the hotel was filled with smoke and
fame. Then terrible scenes began. The sec
ond and third alarms brought the entire Fire
Department to the scene, but it was impossi-
BILE to save any portion Of the structure. The
fire had reached the roof in less than five min
utes from the time it was discovered. 1t
soon reached and gutted st. James's Hotel,
occupied as Bunnell's Museum, and Tivoi
Hall adjoining. The fire, which was under
control by 5o'clock, A. NJ, was confined to the
Richmond Hotel and museum property.
The shlieks and cries of the poor people in
the upper stories Of the burning structure
were heartrending One man, mad with ter
ror, leaped from third-story window, and
was picked up from the stone sidewalk on
Main street mangled corpse. Several who
succeeded in making their escape were badly
injured and burned. Others, more fortunate,
escaped with slight injuries.
The fremen did everything in theirpower to
rescue the distracted people whose rooms were
shrieking for aid. Chief Horning says: ''The
number of people rescued by the fremen is
about twenty-five. We did all we could for
them. We got two streams into the corridor
of the hotel, and at that moment the flames
were shooting up that big staircase and ele-
vator way beyond the reach Of the hose. We
tried to play both streams upward on the fire,
but there was SO much screaming OF guests
and calls for help from the windows that we
called off most of the men from the hose and
let the building 60 for while, giving all our
attention to the ladders. Never mind the
building yelled save the people,; and the
BOYS helped man the ladders on the outside,
putting up two on the Main street side and
the short ones on Eagle street. There was
need for them, too 1t was horrible sight to
see the people jumping from every side. The
COOl-Ilediet OIlSS nclC lesSuco oh boo
some wouldn't wait"
Five girls were seen in fifth-story window
who had tied the bed clothing into rope,
which they hung out. None of them seemed
to have the courage to start. At last one Of
them took hold and swung down to
the window ledge, from which she
was assisted by two men. Three
others came down in the same manner,
and then the fifth girl started down. She had
gone but little distance when the rope
parted, and down she went four stories.
Strange to say, she was not killed. Her legs
were terribly cut and bruised her back badly
injured, and her face and arms were in a
frightful condition from burns.
-Four of the seven reported dead immediate
" after the fire was slbdued were servant
girls employed in the hotel; the fifth was
Kate Wolf, Of Lockport; the other two were
male guests. Two other female servants and
three guests were taken to the hospital in
dying condition.
The total pecuniary damage is estimated at
s3O0,0OO.
The fire is thought to have been the work
of incendiaries, and the Mayor Of Buffalo IS
sued proclamation offering reward of $500
for the conviction of any person guilty of the
crime.